Becoming Ted: The joyful and uplifting novel from the author of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle

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Becoming Ted is the touching story of a 43 yo gay man named Ted who is navigating the path of major life changes. This novel is just a bucket of joy' Glamour'Utterly joyful - you will smile your way through this' Sun'A charming, joyful story' Adele ParksA charming, joyful and surprising story about love, friendship and learning to be true to yourself, Becoming Ted will steal your heart. When his husband confesses he’s been having an affair and wants to split up, Ted cannot see anything good coming his way… but how wrong he was.

Quick fire shout out to these other great characters: Alison, Marina, Mick, Peg Legge, Pussy Squat, Mick and Andrzej too. After what happened to drive him out of Poland, Oskar’s been a bit reclusive, but he admits to himself that he’s lonely. Once again I don’t want to explain too much as this self-discovery aspect of the book is a prominent motif in many different ways and to read and understand it first hand is much more impactful. I know there are people out there who will deeply relate to Ted, and I'm glad this book exists for them, but it very much feels like Matt Cain is simply writing what he knows from also being a middle-aged white gay man from Lancashire.We're told that they love each other but we barely see them together so the admission seems quite sudden. Despite having always worked at his family's ice-cream business in the quiet Lancashire town of St Luke's-on-Sea, feeling duty-bound by a responsibility to his family and his husband, Ted isn't happy, and he doesn't even like ice cream! The story is heartwarming, touching, funny, sassy, fiery, romantic, emotional, dramatic, delightful and eye-opening, and I recommend it highly! Matt Cain tackles shame, compassion and self-acceptance beautifully in Becoming Ted, which will come as no surprise to people who've read The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle.

I think every reader can probably recognise a relationship they've had that reminds them of Ted's relationship with Giles. But usually, the things about ourselves that we're told are 'too much' or that we tone down, whether because of our gender or anything else, are actually the things we should embrace wholeheartedly, as they are who we are at our essence.The story itself is told through three perspectives: Ted, Denise (Ted’s best friend), and Oskar, a painter and decorator (and aspiring interior decorator).